Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous Grammy Award-winning debut album Ashanti which featured the hit song Foolish. The album set a Soundscan record as the most albums sold by any first-time female artist in the chart's history, outselling debuts by Alicia Keys and Lauryn Hill. Later that year, she was acclaimed as the "Princess of Hip-Hop & R&B" by the media and capped off her successful debut by winning eight Billboard awards and two American Music Awards.
Ashanti cites Mary J. Blige and Ella Fitzgerald as her musical influences. Praised as a gifted songwriter by her peers and critics alike, Ashanti has written/co-written the bulk of all her music. She is currently an independent artist on her own record label entitled Written Entertainment.
It was when she was noticed by Murder Inc. mastermind Irv Gotti that Ashanti began to blossom. Gotti noted her dancing and acting abilities in addition to her vocal skills. In 2001, Ashanti was first featured as a background vocalist on rapper Big Pun's song How We Roll. In the same year, Ashanti was featured on fellow labelmate Caddillac Tah's singles Pov City Anthem and Just Like A Thug. She also appeared on the 2001 The Fast and the Furious soundtrack as a featured artist on Vita's 2001 hip hop remake of Madonna's Justify My Love and on the solo track When a Man Does Wrong. She appeared as a background vocalist on I'm Real (Murder Remix), a collaboration by labelmate Ja Rule and Jennifer Lopez (she also appeared in the music video for Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix), the 2nd duet between Lopez & Rule), and was featured on Fat Joe's What's Luv? and Ja Rule's Always on Time. What's Luv? and Always on Time were released simultaneously and became two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. Ashanti became the first female to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart when Always on Time and What's Luv? were number-one and number-two respectively.
Following the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti released her debut single, Foolish, which contained a sample of the 1983 song Stay With Me by DeBarge (also utilized by Notorious B.I.G. in his 1995 hit One More Chance). She became the second artist (after the The Beatles) to have their first three chart entries in the top ten of the Hot 100 simultaneously. Ashanti's self-titled debut album, Ashanti, was released on Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. record label in April 2002. It debuted at number-one on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, selling over 503,000 copies in its first week (the most successful first week sales for a debut R&B female artist up through that point--record later broken by Mary J. Blige's The Breakthrough). The album has been certified 3x platinum in the U.S and platinum (300,000 copies) in the UK. The album has sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide. Ashanti penned all 12 songs on the album, most written on-the-spot in the studio.
Ashanti's follow-up singles, Happy and Baby, were not as successful as her debut single but did peak in the top ten and top twenty in the U.S. respectively. During the summer of 2002, Ashanti appeared on Ja Rule's Down 4 U with labelmates, female rappers Vita and Charli Baltimore. The song appeared on a Murder Inc. compilation titled Irv Gotti Presents The Inc. Ashanti's debut album earned her many awards including eight Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, a Lady of Soul Award for "Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year," and a Grammy Award.
In July 2003, Ashanti released her second album, Chapter II, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first week sales of 326,000 copies in the U.S.. The album went Platinum, selling 1.5 million copies in U.S. The album's success was somewhat eclipsed, however, by all the negative drama surrounding the Murder Inc. camp at the time (i.e., the FBI investigation and the G-Unit feuding). Chapter II's first single, Rock wit U (Awww Baby), became a hit, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Its video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and riding an elephant named Bubbles, was nominated for two 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. A remix of the song contains interpolations of Michael Jackson's Rock with You. The second single, Rain on Me, reached the number-seven spot on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot 100 R&B Songs chart. Chapter II was nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and Rock wit U (Awww Baby) and Rain on Me were nominated in the categories of Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, respectively. At the end of 2003 in November, Ashanti performed at The American Music Awards and was nominated in two categories.
In November 2003, Ashanti's Christmas album, Ashanti's Christmas was released. The album containing 10 Christmas songs, six classic covers and four she wrote herself. To coincide with the release Ashanti premiered a Christmas Medley video for the album. While on BET's 106 & Park, Ashanti said the concept of the Christmas Album came from a guest spot she did on Steve Harvey's radio show. While playing a game with Stevie Wonder, he began playing Christmas medleys on the piano and Ashanti began singing them, giving her label head the idea to push for a Christmas Album. Ashanti went into the studio to record the album during the summer of 2003. According to soundscan, the album sold just around 100,000 units in the U.S.
Before Concrete Rose was released, Ashanti did some major promotion for her single Only U, when she premiered it at the 2004 Vibe Music Awards. In 2004, Ashanti was invited back to perform at VH1's Divas 2004. She appeared on stage with Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Jessica Simpson, and others. She performed Diana Ross' single "I'm Coming Out", and she performed a soul-influenced rendition of Chaka Khan's funk driven "Ain't Nobody. Later that year Ashanti collaborated with male R&B newcomer and labelmate Lloyd on the song Southside, which was released as his debut single and was a moderate hit. Wonderful—with Ja Rule and R. Kelly—peaked at number five in the U.S. and at number one in the UK, and Jimmy Choo with rapper Shyne reached number fifty-five on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. Alongside artist such as Wyclef Jean, Mary J. Blige, Eve, Brandy, Fabolous, Jadakiss, Missy Elliott, and many others, Ashanti participated in a cover of "Wake Up Everybody" in support of ACT, the left-leaning political action committee.
In December 2004, Ashanti released her third studio album, Concrete Rose, the title of which took on Tupac Shakur's pseudonym "The Rose That Grew from Concrete". The album debuted at number seven in the U.S with first week sales of 254,000 copies, and eventually became her third platinum certified album; according to Nielsen SoundScan, it has sold 871,000 copies. The first single, the gold-certified Only U, reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her biggest hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two. A second single, the ballad Don't Let Them, garnered little chart success after Def Jam refused to fund a music video due to Irv Gotti's legal troubles during his money laundering trial. Ashanti used her own money to deliver the second video to her fans, with Gotti acting as director. The single was released only in the U.S., where it failed to chart, and the UK, where it reached the lower end of the top forty. In 2005, Ashanti graced the stage at the MTV Japan Music Awards, where she performed her hit single, Only U. She also won a Style award during the show. She performed alongside huge acts like Mariah Carey and Korean star Rain.
In December 2005, Ashanti released a remix album of Concrete Rose titled Collectables by Ashanti. It features six remixes of previously released tracks and four newly recorded songs, including the single Still on It, which features rappers Paul Wall and Method Man. The album was an opportunity for her to fulfill her contract with Def Jam (and have the option of working with another label), and did not fare well on the charts.
Her fourth studio album, The Declaration, was released on June 3, 2008. Ashanti ventured out and acquired producers and collaborators primarily outside The Inc. for the first time. She said the album was a representation of the freedom she felt she had at that time in her career. "I'm steering my own ship and taking the lead on everything. You can definitely hear the growth; I'm working with producers I've never worked with before". Irv Gotti was quoted as saying, "she's having her little Janet Jackson Control moment. Every artist has their moment when they feel they need to take over their own music and this is hers".
The album debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 with sales of 86,000 copies, Ashanti's lowest first-week sales for a studio album. As of September 2008, The Declaration had sold 230,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Two singles released during 2007 in advance of the album's release—Switch featuring Nelly, and Hey Baby (After the Club) featuring Mario Winans—did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Hey Baby (After the Club) reached number eighty-seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and the third single, the L. T. Hutton-produced The Way That I Love You, reached number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and peaked at number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The final single, the Jermaine Dupri-produced Good Good, became a minor urban hit, peaking at number thirty on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Also featured on The Declaration is the Nelly collaboration Body on Me, which is the third single from his 2008 album Brass Knuckles.
In May 2009, Irv Gotti announced that he was officially releasing Ashanti from The Inc. Records, stating that "The relationship has run its course. The chemistry of what's needed — we're in two totally different places. You're talking to somebody that took her and shaped and molded her and put her out there for the world, and it blew up. We [hold the record] for the [fastest] selling debut by a female R&B artist — 503 [thousand]. We did it! My views and philosophies and her views and philosophies are not meeting up." Gotti also admitted that he and Ashanti have not spoken to each other in a long time. A rep for Ashanti did not respond.
BraveHeart, her fifth album on March 4, 2014. Upon release, the album garnered favorable reviews, with music critics describing Braveheart's sound as an "evolution of R&B" and praising the themes of empowerment, but criticizing the romantic clichés and lack of interesting moments on the album. On the charts, Braveheart opened at number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200, becoming Ashanti's fifth consecutive top-ten album, as well as her first Independent Albums chart topper. It also debuted in the top-thirty of the UK R&B Albums Chart and top-forty of the UK Indie Albums Chart.
In 2017, she announced her seventh studio album, set to be released in 2018 or 2019. On November 6, 2017, she released the first single, “Say Less” feat. Ty Dolla $ign.
More Than a Melody
Ashanti Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So listen carefully, there's music inside each word
I am the composer, of the melody of life
Take my yoke upon your learn of me
I'll be your guiding light
I am the director be part of my symphony
I am speak peace into the storms even the winds obey me
You'll never have to walk alone
And I will help you carry on, carry on
I am the music within the inner-ear
Hawken unto my voice, I declare I am gonna draw near
I am the rhythm to every beat of your heart
If you place your trust in me, I'll never ever part
Let me be your soul
You'll never ever have to walk alone
I will help you carry on
(Let the notes the more) They make (They make a special sound)
The music inside the music (The music inside the music)
That lifts (that lifts) you when your down
I'm more than (more than the beat of time) So much more (so much more)
(More than just a rhyme) I am more than
(More than just a melody) More than just a rhyme
(More than just a rhyme)
I am more than a melody
Come onto me, come onto me
(More more more more) I am more than a melody
(More more more more, Oh more than just a melody)
I am your closest friend, I'll be there until the end
(More than just a rhyme)
Shelter in the time of storm And you'll never have to be alone
I am (more than just a melody)
Troubles will last always when you realize that I am
(More than just a rhyme)
You don't have to be alone when you realize that I'm so much more than
(More than just a melody)
I am more, I'm more than a rhyme, more than a melody more than the beat of time
(More than just a rhyme)
You won't have to face each day alone because I give more
(More than just a melody)
More than just a song you sing more than the beat more than
(More than just a melody)
More than anything that you've experienced in this life
(More than just a melody)
More
(More than just a melody)
(More than just a melody)
(More than just a melody)
(More than just a melody)
In the song “More Than a Melody,” Ashanti sings about the idea that there is more to life than what meets the eye. The song starts with the line “In the still of the moment, my voice can be heard,” and draws attention to the fact that there is music inside of every word spoken. She encourages the listener to take her yoke upon them and learn from her to be their guiding light. She sings that she is the director of a symphony and speaks peace into the storms, and if you let her be your soul, you will never have to walk alone. She is the music within the inner-ear and the rhythm to every beat of your heart. If you trust in her, she will never ever part from you.
The chorus repeats the idea that she is more than just a melody. There is a special sound inside the music that lifts you up when you are down. She is your closest friend and will be there until the end. Troubles will last always, but if you realize that she is more than just a rhyme or a melody, you won’t have to face each day alone. She is more than anything that you’ve experienced in this life.
Overall, the message of the song is that there is more to life and more to each person than meets the eye. Ashanti encourages the listener to seek out and listen to the music inside everything, and to trust in her as a friend and guide through the ups and downs of life.
Line by Line Meaning
In the still of the moment, my voice can be heard
Even in silence, I have a presence and influence.
So listen carefully, there's music inside each word
My words carry meaning and significance beyond their literal interpretation.
I am the composer, of the melody of life
I am the orchestrator and creator of life's experiences.
Take my yoke upon your learn of me
Follow me and learn from me.
I'll be your guiding light
I am a source of guidance and direction.
I am the director be part of my symphony
I am the conductor of the symphony of life and invite you to participate.
I am speak peace into the storms even the winds obey me
I have the power to bring calm and peace in turbulent times.
Let me be your soul
Let me be the guiding force and essence of your being.
You'll never have to walk alone
I will always be with you and support you.
And I will help you carry on, carry on
I will provide the necessary strength and help to persevere.
I am the music within the inner-ear
I am the internal voice and inspiration that guides and inspires.
Hawken unto my voice, I declare I am gonna draw near
Pay attention to my presence and I will draw near.
I am the rhythm to every beat of your heart
I am the life force and rhythm that sustains you.
If you place your trust in me, I'll never ever part
If you believe in me and trust me, I will always be with you.
(Let the notes the more) They make (They make a special sound)
My teachings and guidance have depth and significance beyond their surface meaning.
The music inside the music (The music inside the music)
My message and essence is found within the context of life's experiences.
That lifts (that lifts) you when your down
I have the power to lift and inspire you when you are feeling low.
I'm more than (more than the beat of time) So much more (so much more)
There is depth and significance to my teachings beyond their immediate application.
(More than just a rhyme) I am more than
My impact and influence is far-reaching and multi-dimensional.
(More than just a melody) More than just a rhyme
My message and teachings have depth and significance beyond their literal interpretation.
(More than just a rhyme)
My teachings and influence extend beyond what can be easily explained.
I am more than a melody
I have depth and significance beyond the surface level of my teachings and guidance.
Come onto me, come onto me
Approach me and trust in my guidance and teachings.
(More more more more) I am more than a melody
My influence and teachings have multi-dimensional depth and significance beyond what can be easily explained.
(More more more more, Oh more than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance have significant depth and impact beyond what can be fully articulated.
I am your closest friend, I'll be there until the end
I will always be there for you through thick and thin.
Shelter in the time of storm And you'll never have to be alone
I offer protection and support even in the most difficult times.
Troubles will last always when you realize that I am
Acknowledging my presence and influence will help you navigate through life's challenges.
You don't have to be alone when you realize that I'm so much more than
You don't have to face life's challenges alone because my teachings have multi-faceted depth and impact beyond what can be easily explained.
(More than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance has multi-dimensional depth and significance.
I am more, I'm more than a rhyme, more than a melody more than the beat of time
My essence, teachings, and influence have multi-faceted depth and significance beyond what can be easily explained.
You won't have to face each day alone because I give more
My guidance and teachings offer support and guidance through life's experiences.
(More than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance have multi-dimensional depth and significance.
More than just a song you sing more than the beat more than
My essence and influence extends beyond the confines of music and the literal interpretation of my teachings.
(More than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance have multi-dimensional depth and significance.
More than anything that you've experienced in this life
My teachings have depth and impact beyond what any personal experience can offer.
(More than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance have multi-dimensional depth and significance.
More
My teachings and influence have a significant and impactful depth and breadth.
(More than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance have multi-dimensional depth and significance.
(More than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance have multi-dimensional depth and significance.
(More than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance have multi-dimensional depth and significance.
(More than just a melody)
My teachings and guidance have multi-dimensional depth and significance.
Lyrics © MICHAEL PHILLIPS MUSIC LTD
Written by: AARON LINDSEY, PARKES STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sheron Elliott
Absolutely amazing. It leaves me speechless every time I hear it. Pure perfection.
P Doe
I think Ashanti paying tribute to Yolanda Adams is great! There are not many artists, if any, who can reach Yolanda Adams’ vocal power and ability. So … with this being the case, enjoy this tribute as best as you can.
Brittney Butler
Oh my gosh, I didn't know that Ashanti did Yolanda Adam's "More Than A Melody song cover!"😨😨 I love this song, I didn't know that she knew who Yolanda Adam's was or her songs at the time that she recorded this cover..just wow!! I love it, love it, love it!!💖💖💖🙌🙌🙌
#SingIt!🎵🎶🎤😄
TheActualTruth
Um why is this my first time hearing this?! Yo this gave me chills, like. And it's got a message? Bop. GOD wrote this song. This is real singing, not these fake people being pushed now.
Davon Hernandez
Beautiful.... I love this ❤❤❤
Joshy08_
No female can top her on this track 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Al
The reason of why she sounds young is because she's a 15 year older but she did an outstanding job unlike some of y'all grown folks ijs
coston58
I looooooove it!!!!!
Warren Peterson
U gotta think as a 15 year old to cover Yolanda Adams an still kill it
hackeamelo
perfect voice